Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Simple Mistakes You Must Avoid When Drafting

Fantasy baseball players have huge egos that lead them to making a lot of mistakes when drafting. As someone who has been victimized by that in the past, I can safely tell you that there are a number of small problems that will destroy your chances to win your league. 

The trick to drafting is the ability to read the opponents even more than it is about making sure you have the best players. Obviously that matters too, but reading the room will tell you all you need to know. 

With that in mind, here are a few common mistakes that get made when drafting that you need to avoid like Alfonso Soriano avoids taking a walk. 

OVERPAYING FOR CLOSERS

One of the biggest pet peeves in fantasy baseball is this idea that you need to get one of the best closers in the game to have success. 

False. 

Much like reality, closers are a volatile bunch in fantasy baseball that you have to spend wisely on in order to have great success. 

Sure, Craig Kimbrel has the chance to get 150 strikeouts in 80 innings. But considering how Fredi Gonzalez throws him out there virtually everyday, his arm could just as soon fall off by June. 

Instead, wait until the later rounds to find an unheralded closer that everyone is scared of because he pitches on a bad team. 

NEVER ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT A PLAYER WILL DO

Baseball is a funny game, with very few certainties happening every year. Superstars will always put up huge numbers as long as they play in enough games, but everyone else is a roll of the dice. 

You can fall into the trap of thinking you know what every single player in the league is going to do. You study ZIPs projections and know all the trends someone is on, so you got this. 

If you think like that, you are doomed. Be open to doing anything when you are drafting, never base your picks on everything that you have read. That is too much information to cram in, and eventually it will all be white noise. 

PITCHING IS NOT THE NAME OF THE GAME

While most people will tell you that pitching wins championships, offense in fantasy baseball is the key to success. 

That is not to say that you can ignore your pitching staff, but the game has become much more pitcher-friendly. You can afford to wait before you start adding arms to your stable. 

Offensive numbers have taken a dive in recent years because we have seen an influx of talented pitchers, so it is imperative that you find as much high-end hitting as you can. 

There are plenty of talented hitters out there, you just need to make sure you are on them before anyone else beats you to it. 

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